Joyce uses characterization in his stories to portray many aspects of his native city, Dublin. The description of Weather in "Counterparts", Gallagher in "a Little cloud" and Routh in "After the Race" as Englishmen reflects the defeat of Ireland to England.
In "After the Race", Jimmy Doyle in an Irishman who realizes that he was never part of the game between Charles Segouin a Frenchman and Routh the Englishman. It all starts after a race when the winners all go to dinner and the night finishes on a boat by a card's game. Soon enough Jimmy realizes that the game is between Routh and Segouin, that he "did not know exactly who was winning but he knew that he was loosing". Jimmy thinks that it is his fault and that "the other man had to calculate his I.O.U's for him". Jimmy represents Ireland in his not fought battle against England. Villona the Hungarian and Jimmy end up being the heaviest losers and Routh is the biggest winner. His victory illustrates Joyce's representation of the conflict opposing Ireland and England at the time where Ireland barely decided anything for itself and "other man had to calculate his I.O.U's for him". Throughout the game Ireland is losing and barely reacts because he doesn't think he is good enough. Routh's victory symbolizes the victory of England over Ireland.
In "counterparts", Farrington is a worker that is not very rich is a heavy drinker ready to spend all his money at the bar. After pawning his watch he goes to a bar and meets his friends to whom he offers a drink. He then just meets Weather a English acrobats who orders expensive whiskies and Appolinaris on his bill. Weather finds the hospitality "too Irish" and in exchange promises Farrington to meet to some English girls later on. After the girl ignores him, Farrington is angry and regrets offering all those drink to Weather who "makes the have a little tincture at his expense". Weather then defeats Farrington at a strength contest, which he thought was not fair.
